Dorothy

Those who already had visa appointments scheduled with U.S. consulates received notices that the interview will be rescheduled at a later date.

Applicants with scheduled interviews were sent emails that their appointments had been canceled. Agency officials claim this will ensure visa applicants will not end up relying on US public benefits. This week the Trump administration also announced plans to revoke visas from asylum seekers who had initially entered the US for tourism or business. Up to 200,000 people seeking asylum could be affected.

“A U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Tuesday that it launched a global training initiative at all U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide and that appointments for visa services will be adjusted to accommodate the training,” reports the far-left Reuters. The State Department said that “the training [is] aimed to help consular officers screen out applicants deemed likely to become dependent on U.S. public benefits and to ensure evaluation of visa applicants ‘comprehensively and consistently.’”

The department said the training would ensure consular officers “are fully equipped to evaluate every visa applicant comprehensively and consistently.”

The move comes as President Donald Trump pursues a broader immigration crackdown that has extended beyond illegal immigration to legal immigration pathways. While Trump campaigned in 2024 on curbing illegal immigration, his administration has also imposed additional restrictions on legal immigration, including higher fees for certain work visas and new limits on how long some foreign students and journalists can remain in the US.

On Friday, a judge reversed a Trump Administration pause on visa applications in 75 countries. The court ruled it was “contrary to law and in excess of statutory authority” of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The judge also seemed to take issue with singling out these 75 countries.